MCFH: My View

My Cozy Fall Home, day 8: 
My View. 


These 2 are frequent visitors to our yard. They gave us a bit of a scare when the young one came by herself for a few days, but Mama has been back with her since. 






I wasn’t as wild about them sampling my vegetable garden (which they apparently did in the dark, because I only saw the evidence), but I’m ok with the clean up of fallen prunes. 

The dog is less sure that we should share.  













The baby settling down next to her ball probably doesn't help.

1, 2, 3...Hike!

Sports.yahoo.com

I thought I'd be spending Sunday watching centers hike the ball to quarterbacks for the 2nd day of the NFL Wild Card Weekend.  Instead, Princess Sassy and Prince Steadfast said they were taking Hubby and I on a surprise double date.


While the other kids watched the footballs being hiked on TV at home, we were doing hiking of our own... Actually, snowshoeing, but I am quite sure there was no one yelling "Snow shoe" on the football games, so I had to stretch the relationship a bit for blogging purposes.

After a snowshoeing outing of their own on New Year's Eve day, they were excited for us to try.  We went to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park.  

It's a breathtakingly beautiful spot above Port Angeles, WA, to which we hadn't been since a summer hike when we had only 5 kids, aged 4 months, and 2, 4, 7, and 8 years old.

After an hour and a half or so ride, we arrived at the parking lot, and then spent another half hour or so suiting up.  A few layers of clothes under waterproof coats and ski pants, plus gaiters (to cover the area where pants met boots), the boots, gloves, poles, hats, and, of course, the snow shoes... Which looked nothing like the tennis-raquet-looking devices I'd seen in old movies.  

The prince outfitted his
mother-in-law with boots
and gaiters

I felt somewhat like a 4 year old as the kids dressed me, 

Princess Sassy fastened my snow shoes

and cinched equipment firmly.

So nicely attended to, I was the first one ready

Everyone's ready

Icy cold winds made it through even our multiple layers, but as we got away from the face of the hill, we were sheltered from winds and it was pretty pleasant.  


I was leery, noticing that we were going downhill a lot, meaning there'd be an uphill climb to face later.  Uphill efforts came sooner than I thought as the terrain changed.                                                                                                                                          

I got a bit grouchy as I tired and struggled, my heart beating miles a minute, and getting almost too warm inside all my gear.  
But a few stops to rest helped, and I remembered how the trainers on the TV show, Biggest Loser, made 300-pound, sedentary folks run a mile on the first day, figuring if their burdened hearts could take the stress, mine sure ought to.  


We soon stopped for an amazing lunch the kids prepared... Sandwiches of grainy bread filled with meat, alfalfa sprouts, tomato, and cucumber, plus treats like sesame sticks and toffee coated peanuts.  



It also helped that we overlooked an amazing view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and saw Vancouver Island in Canada and the Cascade Mountain range to the east.

Sun going down, and the car was, by then, a welcome sight

By the time we finished lunch, it was nearing 4 PM, and we had only a little time before it would start to darken and the slushy roads would turn to dangerous ice.  So we trekked for a another 20 minutes or so, then headed for the car.  It was nice to be rid of several pounds of gear, and Prince Steadfast drove us carefully and slowly down the icy mountain road as dusk settled around us.

Seattlepi.com

We ended the day with a tasty dinner and friendly service at Voodiez in Poulsbo, where we got to see highlights of the football games we missed, including the talented Tim Tebow's amazing plays, sending the Steelers packing back to Pittsburgh.  (I'm sorry for the Steelers fans, but when a truly moral young man from another big, Christian, homeschooling family is doing so well, I am happy to celebrate with him.)


Snowshoeing is a fun endeavor, and for at least for that day, I hit my 2012 goal to get off my rear and do some weight-bearing exercise!  Like biking, cross-country skiing, and even walking, I do think that snowshoeing be done on flat or gently rolling terrain... ;-)

The Great Christmas Tree Hunt of 2011

It was a coooold afternoon, but, at least, dry!  The tree farm simplified its pricing, so that the trees with yellow ribbons were $10 and all the rest were $35.

Yes... The right height!

The tree farm owner said we were there so long, he was considering charging us rent!  It wasn't that bad, if he'd noticed us in previous years.  I think we were there about 45 minutes.  Of course, we had to see everything... We can't choose our once-a-year, oh-so-special tree too quickly!  --Had to know if there was a $10 tree to love, and if not, we wanted to get a great one everyone could agree on for our $35.  

Tree-cutting teamwork got the job done.
Princess Artiste and Prince CuddleBunny

Hubby had never been able to have his first choice, a Noble Fir, because they were always too expensive.  But this year they were the same $35, so he finally got one.  Not positively sure it's an actual Noble, but it must be a close relative with a similar look.











Family decorating party planned for Saturday night!

Fall Bounty!

I know we're well into fall and head toward winter when  

• The leaves have turned color and most are on the ground 

• The air is colder than nippy 

• There are reports of light snow in the area (Like often last year, we were left out again!) 

AND

• a young man's fancy turns toward.... spawning salmon!  Or those that are trying to spawn, so come in near the shoreline.  

It was a fruitful morning for Prince Go-for-It, who got his dad up at 5:30 today to drive him out to his favorite fishing spot.  

He says the adult men there ask him why he isn't home in bed... Apparently none of them fished as kids?!  


Or are they just disappointed he's catching so many?  :-)

Filleted and ready to brine and smoke...                                                                                                        

I'm a Hiking Wimp: Lower Lena Lake Trail, Eldon, WA

My calves are complaining the loudest... But with all the tripping and sliding I did, in addition to the brisk walk up the mountain over rough terrain, my whole body is unhappy to some extent.  I didn't realize that what seemed like a simple hike would stress my neck and shoulders, as well as my ankles, legs, and hips.  First of all, there is all that looking down to try to see where your feet are landing.  And when you start to fall, the whole body jumps into action, many times going in different directions, when all sorts of muscles get into the act!  I have to say that even though it can get to the point of requiring some ibuprofen, it's still a better pain than that from sitting at the computer all day.


I didn't research this hike before passing on the suggestion from Princess Sassy to Hubby that we do it before coming home from our night out at Alderbrook.  After all, Sassy and her prince had just done it, without any fanfare or complaint.  
I should've taken more major notice, however, when they spoke of Prince Steadfast promising his new bride Reese's Pieces when they got to the top, and how he had to move her to the front of the line, when he kept hearing her trying to stealthily open the zipper on his backpack to sneak a few on the way up.  The red flag should've gone up when a young and fit cross-country runner needed a bribe to keep walking... But I attributed it all to her sugar addiction, and let it go.  Also, Hubby and the boys, including a then 5-yr-old Prince CuddleBunny, had hiked to the lake to camp a couple of years ago.  The boys had complained some, but they were youngish and carrying a lot of gear.  If a 5 year old could do it, how hard could it be?  (Thank goodness they camped at the lake, and didn't do roundtrip all in one day.)

* = Home
* = Alderbrook Resort

Traveling the highway north along Hood Canal, we knew we went too far and weren't sure where to turn.  I looked at the parks we passed along the way and thought maybe we should just trade the hike for a day on the beach... But instead we called Steadfast, who helped us find the right turn off.  It was marked for the Hamma Hamma Recreation area, and only had signs to the Lena Lake trails once we'd turned in.  This was a narrow, but paved road that headed up the mountain.  We soon lost phone service and without any markings or other cars, it felt like we were headed into nowhere...and alone.  8 miles in, that seemed more like 15, we arrived at the trailhead, and I felt less alone, seeing several cars parked in the area. 


After a visit to the less than luxurious, almost outhouse style restrooms, we paid our fee and signed in at the stand at the entrance to the 3.1 mile trail.  We took along water, but Hubby didn't think it was necessary to take food... 'We were just going up and back and could eat again when we got down.'  Hmm...OK.  I was wearing a light jacket, and thought I might get a little chilly.  Ha.

The little zig zags represent the many switchbacks.
Map from localhikes.com

The start of the trail looked benign and quite beautiful.  We walked and walked.  Then walked and walked some more, now back and forth through several switch backs that attempted to soften the impact of the climb.  The path was less often just dirt, and more often an uneven route of toe-grabbing, gnarly roots, broken trees, and loose rock rolling out from under our feet, or wreaking havoc with ankles. 


My legs were beginning to tire, and I got past the point of talking and walking at the same time, electing to breathe instead!  The jacket was no longer too light, but was, in fact, off, and I was carrying it.  I asked Hubby how far he thought we'd hiked.  He started with "Oh, about half...," and I, of course, thought he was going to finish with "way."  Instead, he finished with "...or maybe quarter of a mile."  Aargh.  I thought, "The view at the top better be something!"
It turns out that about 2/3 of the 1200 foot elevation change is experienced in the first mile, with the most severe angle right about that point where I was ready to give up, dreaming of those shoreline parks.

  
We could hear the sound of rushing water for most of the walk, but had only a couple distant glimpses of Lena Creek through the trees.  The trees themselves were awesome.  So tall and big.  The photos don't do them justice, because you can't get a sense of the scale.  There were, of course, downed trees here and there.  Hubby was drooling about the hundreds of board feet of cedar just lying on the ground that he could envision his students turning into boats!

We went through one area where there had once been a major slide...Giant trees and boulders still lying in a tumble, now covered in moss.  It was something to imagine the might, power, devastation, and sound that must have occurred.  Again, the photos can't do it justice, as the scale is lost.

There are a couple of nice bridges.  One over a dry creek bed... Hubby finally said we were about halfway there.  

The other was nearer the end, and with the added treat of small falls and creek flow underneath.


Just a bit farther, and we could finally see a bit of the lake through the trees...but it was down, and we were still climbing up!  

Reaching the overlook spot, I could see that it certainly was gorgeous.  A little strange to come across such a large lake with no houses, no boats, and at that moment, not another soul in sight.  Other hikers we'd encountered continued all the way down to the lake to camp overnight.  But since going down only meant climbing back up, and we were only out for the day, we were happy to take in the view and call it good.  We basked in the sun a bit on the basalt, but at this point I realized I was hungry.  In retrospect, it would've been the perfect place to enjoy a picnic (or for others, apparently, Reese's Pieces), and take a rest before heading back down.  


In case you think, like I did, that going down would be a piece of cake, I have to say that I'm not quite done complaining, and it wasn't.  Going up exercised my leg muscles and kept me out of breath.  One hip started to ache a little, but mostly, the trip up was only tiring.  It was on the trip down that my neck complained about looking down all the time, my tired body tripped and slipped a lot more, straining odd muscles like my shoulder, and my toes were constantly jammed into the ends of my usually comfortable shoes.  So hiking that direction was not so much tiring as painful.  Going up, I noticed that I was a bit out of shape.  Going down, I noticed I was in my 50s...

Trillium with blossom bud

Interesting albino-ish flowers

We were, though, able to enjoy the vegetation a bit more, and were delighted to come around a corner and join another couple hiking down the trail, even if just for a moment.

Mr and Mrs Grouse, I presume?

We got back into the car just about 4 hours after we'd gotten out.  We often walk a 3 mile loop near home, that even includes a significant hill.  That takes us 45 minutes to an hour, so that same distance on the Lower Lena Lake Trail took about twice the time.  I finished it, and am glad I did it.  We've done several family hikes over the years that I knew I could enjoy again...But, I'm just not in a great hurry to redo this one!